The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLA) was the first dedicated museum building in Los Angeles, opening its doors in 1913. Since then, it has amassed one of the world’s most extensive and valuable collections of natural and cultural history with more than 35 million objects, some as old as 4.5 billion years. Permanent exhibits cover everything from gems to Los Angeles nature, dinosaurs, mammals, local history, and birds.

The Museum also features their special 3.5-acre Nature Gardens, which is an outdoor exhibit space where Museum scientists do real research and educators host nature-specific programs for visitors. The Natural History Family of Museums includes the NHMLA, the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum (Hancock Park/Mid-Wilshire), and the William S. Hart Park and Museum (Newhall, California). The Family of Museums serves more than 1.3 million visitors annually, and is a national leader in research, exhibitions and education.

The six-minute virtual reality experience directed by Jake Rowell called the Blu: An Underwater VR Experience is a Wevr Original Series which will be shown at the NHM from March 6, 2017 through April 28th. Explore some of the world’s most remarkable marine ecosystems and swim alongside all type of ocean creatures, while wearing a VR headset. Explore a sunken ship, walk along a coral reef and then dive down deep to the ocean floor and check out bioluminescent fish. Advanced timed-tickets are required. Members pay $8, nonmembers are $10 for ages 10 and up.

(credit: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County)

Butterfly Pavilion
Dates: March 19, 2017 – September 4, 2017

Up until September 4th, get up close to beautiful butterflies at this seasonal exhibit located outside on the south side of the Museum. The Butterfly Pavilion showcases hundreds of butterflies and the plants that surround them, with 20 species of California natives such as the monarch, mourning cloak, and buckeye and 10 species of subtropical varieties from south Florida and Texas, such as the malachite and the grey cracker.

(credit: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County)

Extreme Mammals
Dates: May 14, 2017 – September 10, 2017

“Extreme Mammals” explores the evolutionary standouts and oddities in the 200-million-year history of mammals and introduces visitors to animals they may have never heard of or seen. The exhibition examines species ranging from massive Columbian mammoths and land whales to minuscule monotremes, with rare fossils and specimens from around the world, vivid reconstructions, animated computer interactive presentations, and hands-on activities. See a rare dwarf mammoth fossil from the Channel Islands, footage of L.A.’s own P-22, the Griffith Park mountain lion and enjoy programming on family days, which occur on May 14, June 17, and July 29.

(credit: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County)

Spider Pavilion
Dates: October 30, 2017 – December 11, 2017

From October 30, 2017 through December 11, 2017, walk through a safe, open-air pavilion to the NHM’s one-of-a-kind Spider Pavilion. Walk through a maze of orb weavers and their intricate webs and learn about how these eight-legged creatures are some of the most amazing architects in the world. See orb weavers including the Golden Silk Spider, the largest species of orb weaving spider in the U.S., and the Garden Spider, whose silk webs can span one to three meters across. At the Spider Den, peer into closed habitats of such creatures like the Pink Toe Tarantula and Jumping Tarantula and see how they interact with our big world.

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